Shuttle XPC SZ170R8 V2: Small but Powerful

Compact, efficient and incredibly powerful if you spring for the right parts, the Shuttle XPS SZ170R8 V2 has a lot going for it. The small form factor of the motherboard does not take away from its power. Even better is its capability as a portable machine.

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Student Council Presidents are usually those student leaders who are well-organized and have natural leadership skills. There are a lot of anime characters who have the traits to become an excellent Student Council President, so Charapedia asked which characters would make the best one. 10,000 people (46.2% male, 53.7% female) all voted for a total of...

Well, that surely didn’t take long. Huawei unveiled the Ascend P6 last week, marketing it as the world’s thinnest smartphone, and there’s already a new candidate for the throne. This one comes from a company whose name probably doesn’t ring many bells, but apparently it’s even slimmer than the P6.

Meet the Umeox X5, a phone that allegedly measures an incredible 5.6 mm in thickness. Why all the “apparentlies” and “allegedlies”? Because even if the X5 is technically official, being unveiled by Umeox over the week-end, it’s set to make a commercial debut at an unspecified time “in the summer”.

And I don’t know about you, but I want to wait and see the thing in action before proclaiming it the newest flyweight champion of the world. Who knows, maybe Umeox is bluffing in an attempt to get noticed by the media.

Oh, well, one thing is clear nevertheless and that’s the X5 is hot. True, it may not look as “premium” as Huawei’s Ascend P6, but it’s definitely elegant and sexy. There’s also a possibility the chassis is not made of plastic, though the first official photos are likely intentionally ambiguous.

As is the list of features for now, with only a couple of things known about X5’s guts. On the software front, there will be Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but in the hardware department we only know of a dual-core processor.

The large 5.3-inch display is also undetailed, but the dual cameras, which are detailed, actually sound pretty nice, packing 8 and 3 MP sensors. Finally, mum’s the word when it comes to pricing and availability, save for the fact the Umeox X5 is to become available in France before all the rest of the world, including China. Odd move for a Chinese phone maker, but maybe they feel like Europe can appreciate “anorexic” gadgets better.